Medical degree

Enrolling on a Medical Degree course will be your first step towards a highly valued, respected and worthwhile profession. These courses are designed to introduce you to the fundamental aspects of medicine, in particular the structure and function of a healthy body, and the basic mechanisms underlying disease. They aim to produce doctors and medical practitioners who will not only have a scientific approach, but just as importantly the ability to relate sympathetically to patients and their families.

Program’s integrate basic medical and clinical sciences with professional skills and competencies throughout the course. Students will gain not only subject knowledge but also key transferable skills that will make them attractive prospects for any future employer. Clinical and communication skills are developed in a structured way, sometimes by working with volunteers and actors simulating patients, and then by working with real patients in hospital. This last point is important as many patients will have social and psychological dimensions to their lives that can affect how they react to illness. It is therefore vital that you appreciate the behavioural and social dimensions in clinical practice, and are also aware of the full range of the multi-agency community services available for patients. Upon graduation you will be able to make the care of patients your first concern, and be able to apply your knowledge and skills in a competent and ethical manner.

You will learn about scientific method, experimental techniques, and data interpretation. As medical knowledge is constantly evolving, undergraduates need to keep up with the changing nature of both medical science and clinical skills. It is therefore vital that undergraduates have an open mind, a lifelong commitment to study, and a critical attitude towards what they read in books and what they are told in lectures.

Medical Degree course overview

Courses typically last between five to six years, and right from the beginning you will have clinical contact with patients, doctors and other health professionals. A significant portion of the study is through scenarios, with students being taught in lectures, tutorials and laboratory classes. Guest lecturers can include well known clinicians, research scientists and other health care professionals. In addition to practical classes, tutorials and clinical attachments you will be expected to direct your own learning, identifying your weaknesses and taking steps to rectify them, as well as actively pursuing areas of interest.

You will learn medical sciences through integrated, interdisciplinary courses, with applied subjects like Pharmacology, Pathology and Microbiology being introduced early, so that you can immediately understand both normal and abnormal function.

Your performance will be closely monitored and assessed during the course, allowing tutors to constantly assess your performance and identify your strengths and weaknesses.

All universities give their students access to online databases of medical and related literature from computers in colleges, university departments, hospitals and general practices. These resources will enable them to keep up to date with the current research, treatments and issues in the world of medicine.